Change (On Hiatus)
by The Forest Dog
Summary: It can be hard to change. Even harder when one is forced to do so. Because if he doesn't change, there may not be anything left to change for. (Do not read unless you know what the Dark Forest is. Rated T because this is Warriors, and there will be blood. Takes place in lake territory.)
1. Prologue

**Hello readers! I've been wanting to write this story for a while, and decided now was as good a time as ever. **

**Before I start this, I want to say that I do not own the _Warriors _series. Sadly...**

**Also, you might get a little lost reading the prologue, but I'll try to explain it more in the later chapters. An explanation to it will be included with the story... the prophecy is going to be vague though. Like every prophecy.**

**Okay... Enjoy!**

_Prologue_

_Owlwing took a few tentative steps forward. The she-cat's gray pelt brushed against the ferns._

Where is StarClan? _she thought. Her amber eyes scanned the forest. Owlwing knew she was supposed to share dreams with StarClan. But she couldn't glimpse any of the starry cats that usually greeted the medicine-cats at their meetings._

_"Looking for something?" A voice above her taunted. Owlwing stopped in her tracks and looked up. There, sitting on a branch, was a Dark Forest cat. She recognized the silver tabby tom immediately._

_"Coldwhisker..." she growled. "What have you done with StarClan?"_

_The question made Coldwhisker purr, though it was the kind of purr that made one's blood run cold._

_"StarClan is not coming to your _stupid _meetings, Owlwing," he answered. "They _wanted _to give you a prophecy, but I think I should present it to you... I want to see the terror on your face when you receive it..."_

_Owlwing tried not to flinch at his words. "I will ask you again, and I want an answer... What did you do with StarClan?"_

_Coldwhisker flattened his ears to his skull, and his blue eyes sparkled mockingly. "What is a _medicine-cat _going to do to a fully trained warrior to make him talk? You are weak, Owlwing. You cannot attack me."_

_Coldwhisker dropped down from the branch and padded towards Owlwing. His hot breath bathed her muzzle as he whispered in her ear what she assumed was his own twisted version of StarClan's prophecy._

_"Shadow will flood the forest, turning light to dark. Fire from the shade will tear you world apart. Only a broken soul can change night's heart."_

_Owlwing gave Coldwhisker a confused and fearful stare, before the Dark Forest cat faded into mist and Owlwing was tugged back into reality._

Snowpaw awoke by the Moonpool. His mentor, Owlwing, woke besides him. Their eyes locked. Owlwing's amber eyes had a spark of fear hidden in their depths.

Snowpaw sighed. "We have to tell Quietstar."


	2. Hate

**Hello again readers! I wanted to say that I'm sorry if I use the name of somebody's OC, if I do it will be entirely coincidental and not on purpose. But still, sorry.**

**With that out of the way, no, I don't own _Warriors_. Yet.**

_From Care to Hate_

_"Smokesong! Smokesong, help!" Stormwind cried._

_Smokesong could hear his mate's cries. He tried to find her, but the sound of screeching cats drowned out her calls._

_"Stormwind!" He whailed. "Where are you?"_

_There was no reply. Reluctantly, Smokesong returned to fighting his foe, a large brown ShadowClan tom. Smokesong dived under legs and twisted his neck to sink his teeth into the tom's back leg. He tugged, and blood spattered on the ground as Smokesong ripped the fur off of the ShadowClan cat._

_In moments, the battle had ended. ShadowClan retreated. The rest of the ThunderClan began to celebrate, but Smokesong refused. He had to know that Stormwind was okay. He scented the air, and finally caught her scent on the wind. He followed it many fox-lengths away until he saw her._

_It wasn't a pretty sight. Her gray fur was matted with her own blood, and one of her eyes had been ripped clean out. The other was frozen in an expression of horror. Claw marks ran from her side to her flank, and there was a large bite mark on her throat. _

_She didn't move._

_Smokesong raised his muzzle to the sky and let out a cry of outrage and sorrow. "Why have you taken her, StarClan? Why did you take her from me!"_

_He curled up besides her cold, lifeless body, his whimpers echoing through the forest._

Brokenheart woke up with a start, gasping for breath as the horror of his dream replayed in his mind.

Brokenheart was a black tom with dark gray streaks in his fur. He had a muzzle and paws that were the same gray as the streaks, and glowing orange eyes.

His name used to be Smokesong, but that was before. The heartbreak from losing his mate had never left him after all these moons. In fact, it had only gotten worse. His mother, Silverfur, had been taken away by Twolegs, and his sister, Mistpaw, had died from a fox attack.

Along with that, he had lost his brother, Robincall, to greencough.

That's why the clan leader had changed his name to Brokenheart. Because no matter how much time passed, he could never forget the tragedy.

Or forgive.

He learned that his mate was killed by a ShadowClan warrior named Snakefang by sniffing around at the place his mate died. At the Gathering that followed, he had attacked him, screaming that Stormwind didn't deserve to die that way.

He managed to slit Snakefang's throat. Not fatally, but enough that blood pooled on the ground and enough that the medicine-cats had to act quickly.

He was severely punished afterwards, having been forced to stay in camp and care for the elders the for four moons. He had done it reluctantly and bitterly, still believing that Snakefang should die and go to the Dark Forest.

After his punishment was over, his name was changed to Brokenheart. His clanmates were nervous and scared around him, especially the kits. ThunderClan's queens made up nursery tales about him, and none were good.

It didn't help that his personality had changed from loving, caring, accepting, and reasonable to bitter, rude, hateful, unreasonable, and cruel at times. It seemed he was a whole different cat as Brokenheart than as Smokesong.

But he didn't care. As he stood up and padded out of the warrior's den, a red tabby she-cat apprentice ran towards him.

"Hello!" she squeaked. She had obviously forgotten about his temper. The apprentice was very forgetful.

Brokenheart snapped his head towards her and bared his fangs. His ears flattened to his head. "Get lost," he growled.

The apprentice looked stunned, and walked off with her tail drooping.

As much as most of the cats hated him, three of them still saw the kindness buried in his heart, and the love that had been locked away for moons.

Owlwing, Snowpaw, and Quietstar.

But Brokenheart's heart had been cold and bitter for moons, and those three cats wondered if the care would ever return to his gaze.


	3. Prophecy

**Hello again! In this chapter, I'll show you what Owlwing's past with Coldwhisker is. Not immediately, though. You'll just have to wait a few paragraphs. There's not a real reason why I'm telling you their past in the chapter, it isn't super beneficial to the story, but I thought it'd be cool to write. Also, I do not own _Warriors_. **

**Sadly.**

**Well, hope you enjoy!**

_The Prophecy Is Told_

Snowpaw and Owlwing stood outside Quietstar's den. Snowpaw's white pelt was pricking with anticipation, but his blue eyes hid a dark worry.

"Quietstar..." Owlwing murmured, "may Snowpaw and I come in?"

"Enter..." came Quietstar's near silent answer. And so they did.

Quietstar was a white she-cat with silver patches. She had sky blue eyes and a voice that was almost always silent. Nobody knew why, but despite this, she was a great leader.

Owlwing and Snowpaw both dipped their heads in respect.

"What is it that you want?" the leader whispered. Owlwing cleared her throat.

"At the half-moon meeting yesterday, me and Snowpaw received a prophecy from..." she paused, Snowpaw knew that Owlwing didn't want to say it was a Dark Forest cat who gave it to her. "From StarClan," she finally said.

Quietstar nodded, with slight suspicion in her eyes, and Owlwing gave the prophecy to Quietstar.

"'Shadow will flood the forest, turning light to dark. Fire from the shade will tear your world apart. Only a broken soul can change night's heart'. Snowpaw and I don't really have a clue as to what it could mean," Owlwing sighed.

Quietstar's gaze was thoughtful. It was a moment before she spoke.

"Could the shadow that will 'flood the forest' be ShadowClan? They've been getting ambitious, and they've been trying to take our territory for moons now."

Owlwing nodded. "I guess that makes sense, but... what could the rest be?"

Snowpaw opened his jaw to speak, as did Quietstar, but both were interrupted by the deputy, Flamewhisper. He was an orange tabby tom with a red muzzle and golden eyes.

"I am terribly sorry to interrupt your meeting, but..." he hesitated. "It is almost time for Fogkit to become an apprentice. I wanted to know who you wanted to mentor her."

"Of course..." she muttered. "Owlwing, Snowpaw, I will think about what you've said, but I'm afraid you must leave now."

Snowpaw nodded, though he was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't share his own theories about the prophecy. He followed Owlwing back into the medicine den.

He started to walk towards the pile of herbs they had gathered to sort them, but Owlwing stopped him. She told him to sit down.

"Snowpaw, who delivered the prophecy to you?"

Snowpaw narrowed his eyes with a thoughtful expression on his face. "A cat named Badgerclaw. Never heard of him before, but I know he was a Dark Forest cat, no doubt."

"Well," Owlwing began, "as you know, the prophecy was given to me by Coldwhisker."

She paused. "Did I ever tell you who Coldwhisker is?"

Snowpaw shook his head.

"Well, I suppose all the hate has turned on to Brokenheart recently, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of him."

Snowpaw sat on the dirt and listened as Owlwing told him about the Dark Forest warrior.

"Coldwhisker was once one of ThunderClan's best warriors. He hunted well, fought like a bear, and protected his clan. His strength, however, led him to becoming overconfident and ambitious. Soon after, he wanted to be leader. All he had to do was kill Quietstar."

Snowpaw shivered from horror. _Who would ever kill Quietstar? She's the best leader in all the clans! _he thought. Owlwing continued with her story.

"One day, when I was out collecting herbs, I heard some cats whispering. They were trying to stay hidden, which I thought was suspicious. I followed the sounds of voices to see four rogues planning to murder Quietstar... Coldwhisker was there too."

She paused, reliving the moment in her head, before continuing.

"I ran back to camp and immediately told Quietstar. When Coldwhisker was confronted, he killed a warrior named Bluenose before being killed himself by Flamewhisper. Because Coldwhisker _had _been the deputy, and Flamewhisper had killed him for the clan, he was made deputy."

"And then Coldwhisker went to the Dark Forest..." Snowpaw mumbled to himself. Owlwing nodded slowly.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, but their leader's quiet call put an end to the wordless moment.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting."


	4. Apprentice

**Hello readers! For those of you who don't know (or don't care, either is fine), I am writing a _Gravity Falls _story at the same time, so... I may be a little rushed with the chapters...**

**Sorry... and for those of you who think I should write longer chapters, I think shorter chapters but frequent updates is better. Sorry though.**

**Anyways, I do not own _Warriors_, and without further ado, I present this chapter!**

_The Apprentice _

Brokenheart shuffled towards the clan meeting reluctantly; he'd much rather sun himself on a rock, or eat some fresh-kill, but StarClan has other plans, he thought.

Everyone was already there before he joined the cats that's were under the Highledge. A few of them shot fearful glances in his direction, or just glowered at him with their hatred for him in their eyes.

"Fogkit," Quietstar started, "you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice." Her gaze was locked with Fogkit's own.

Fogkit was a white she-kit with fluffy fur and gray paws. She had small gray stripes on her back, and mint green eyes.

The she-kit was sitting relatively still, but her glimmering eyes betrayed her excitement.

"Fogkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Fogpaw."

Now, all the cats that didn't have apprentices leaned forward on their haunches, wanting to have an apprentice.

Brokenheart was the only one that didn't want one. _A small skittish cat to look after? No thanks! _he thought.

Then his heart sank as Quietstar said the last words.

"Brokenheart, you have proven yourself to be a loyal and brave warrior of ThunderClan. You will be Fogpaw's apprentice."

At those words, the camp exploded with the shouts and defiant screeches of cats.

"He isn't loyal!"

"He's probably a murderer!"

"He doesn't deserve an apprentice!"

But the loudest shouts were Brokenheart's own. He raised his muzzle to the sky and screeched.

"Why, StarClan, have you cursed me _again_?"

Fogpaw was looking relatively scared of being Brokenheart's apprentice, but her face looked crest-fallen. Her apprentice ceremony wasn't at all what she hoped it would be like.

"Be _quiet_!" Came Quietstar's yowl. Whenever she of all cats raised her voice, you knew you had to listen. The camp became silent in moments.

Slowly and very reluctantly, Fogpaw touched noses with Brokenheart, as was the tradition. One thought ran through Brokenheart's mind.

_May StarClan have mercy on this apprentice... Because I won't..._

**Two sunrises later**

Fogpaw panted, with her paws thrumming on the forest floor. Leaves -which had fallen on the ground, as it was leaf-fall- whirled into the air behind her as she raced through the forest.

_Why does Brokenheart put me through this StarClan accursed training? _she thought bitterly.

"Run _faster_!" Brokenheart snapped behind her.

She was currently racing after a rabbit as it hopped away from her. She couldn't catch up with it. The only reason she'd missed it when she pounced was because Brokenheart yowled to scare it.

On purpose.

He always said running after your prey makes you faster, but Fogpaw didn't see the point.

_I'm not a WindClan cat! I'm not going to chase after this rabbit like I am one!_

She skidded to a halt and waited for Brokenheart to walk up to her.

To say he was angry would be an understatement. His ears were flattened to his skill, his tail was lashing, and his claws were unsheathed.

"Why didn't you follow it!?" He yowled furiously.

"Because I'm tired of this! I can never catch up to it, and neither can you! You're torturing me!"

Brokenheart looked momentarily surprised at her outburst, but quickly recovered.

"Fogpaw," he growled through clenched teeth, "you will continue hunting until you catch enough prey to fill the fresh-kill pile. If you don't, you'll be cleaning the elder's den for a moon."

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it," he hissed. Then he padded of with his tail swinging and his claws still out.

Fogpaw stood there for a while. When he was out of earshot she muttered, "that fox-hearted mouse-brain..." and went off in search of prey.

The sun had almost dipped beyond the horizon, and she had caught three mice, a vole, two squirrels, and a robin.

She thought one more piece of prey couldn't hurt.

She opened her mouth slightly to taste the air.

_I can smell a mouse..._

Fogpaw followed the scent of mouse to the lakeshore. Sure enough, there was a mouse sitting there for whatever reason. She dropped into a hunter's crouch and crept forward, placing her paws down carefully.

Once she was close enough, she leapt. She thought her paws would land on the mouse, killing it. But her paws slipped on the shore as she landed, and she tumbled into the lake.

A wave crashed over her head and submerged her in water. She let out a yowl of fear and for help, but was silenced as a wave pushed her muzzle into the water. Her paws churned as she tried to find something to stand on.

She started sinking into the cold depths, before something grabbed her by her scruff.

Whatever it was paddled towards the shoreline, holding her in its jaws. It wouldn't let go. It had her in a firm grip, determined to get her to safety. Then it dropped her on the ground.

She coughed, and she was gasping for breath. The cold of the water had reached through her fur, and she was shivering.

When she could breathe again, Fogpaw turned her head to thank her savior, but her words never came out. She was too utterly surprised.

There was Brokenheart, standing with his paws splayed and his fur dripping wet. She saw pure worry in his eyes, and she strained to her the words he murmured to himself.

"I can't lose another..."

They stared at each other for a while, each one surprised for the same reason.

_He was worried about me..._ Fogpaw thought.

_I was worried about her... _Brokenheart thought. And for the first time in moons, the stone-cold heart of his could feel something that hadn't entered his mind or soul recently.

Compassion.

Unfortunately, it quickly faded away, like it was all a dream, but it was there, Fogpaw knew it.

Maybe there was more to Brokenheart than one could see at first glance.

**Geez, another chapter done. I realized that I didn't make it completely clear what clan this takes place in... Just so we're all on the same page here: The story takes place in ThunderClan.**

**So yeah...**

**See you next time!**


	5. Eavesdropper

**Okay, so Brokenheart isn't as heartless as he seems... or maybe he is. **

**I forgot what I was going to say...**

**Oh yeah, I don't own _Warriors_.**

**On with this!**

_The Eavesdropper_

Snowpaw drew his tongue over Fogpaw's drenched fur, trying to get her blood flowing again. She was shivering, and she had a clouded look in her eyes.

He stopped for a moment. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. Fogpaw didn't answer for a while. Finally she opened her mouth.

"Yeah..." she mumbled, though she didn't seem to be paying attention.

Brokenheart had brought her to the medicine den a while ago, telling Snowpaw that she had fallen into the lake. Owlwing was out collecting herbs, so Snowpaw was alone with Fogpaw.

Snowpaw went back to licking her fur to warm her. He stopped when Fogpaw turned to stare at him.

"What?" he asked slowly.

"Snowpaw... Is... Is..."

Her words trailed off, and she lowered her head in clear confusion.

"Is _what_?" Snowpaw pressed on.

"Is Brokenheart... Is he really a bad cat?"

Snowpaw paused, not quite sure how to answer that.

"That's complicated," he drawled. "I guess you could say yes, _and _no..."

"What do you mean?"

Snowpaw sighed and sat down on his haunches. "Brokenheart's name _used _to be Smokesong. Then his mate, as long with his mother, sister and brother died. Well, his mother didn't die, she was just stolen by Twolegs..."

"Go on..."

Snowpaw twitched his ears in annoyance. "Keep your fur on, in getting to it. Anyways, before all the death, he was known as the most caring and considerate cat in ThunderClan. But I guess after everything he went through, he kind of became... dark... He hasn't done anything particularly _nice _lately."

Fogpaw tilted her head. "But he pulled me out of the lake."

"Wait," Snowpaw meowed, "I thought one of the _other _warriors saved you... it was Brokenheart?"

Fogpaw nodded. Snowpaw's eyes gleamed a bit. "Then maybe his heart isn't totally lost," he thought aloud.

Just then, Owlwing brushed through the lichen covering the medicine den with a bundle of catmint in her jaws. She set it down and purred.

"I can't believe I managed to find catmint in leaf-fall! If greencough strikes, we'll be ready."

Snowpaw nodded eagerly, and afterwards told her about how Fogpaw had fallen in the lake. Owlwing's eyes were sympathetic.

"Well, I'm sorry. But... Snowpaw... can we talk in private for a moment?" she murmured.

Snowpaw cast a glance at Fogpaw, who nodded in understanding. "Okay," he meowed. He followed Owlwing out of the camp.

Their paws crunched the leaves underfoot as they went to a secluded part of the woods. They sat down.

"Snowpaw, I wanted to ask you if you had any ideas as to the meaning of the prophecy."

Snowpaw thought for a moment. "The prophecy said only a 'broken soul can change night's heart'. I think... Brokenheart may be an important part of the prophecy."

Owlwing looked skeptical. "How's he supposed to change 'night's heart' if he can't change his own?"

Snowpaw's eyes darkened a bit. "I guess he'll just _have _to change his own heart... Otherwise, the forest may be lost to whatever the prophecy has planned for us."

Owlwing sighed. "Come on, let's go back to camp."

Before either could get up, though, they heard the _snap! _of a twig. Someone was spying on them.

Both medicine cats turned their heads, and saw only a flash of gray-flecked black fur.

_Was that Brokenheart? _Snowpaw thought. _And if so... how much did he hear?_

**A moment later**

Brokenheart sat grooming his fur by the warriors' den. _They heard that twig snap... Do they know it was me? _he thought as he tried to act as inconspicuous as possible.

He stopped his grooming and risked a glance at the medicine cats. They were talking with their heads together and in hushed whispers. Occasionally they looked in his direction.

Brokenheart's fur bristled as he remembered Snowpaw's words. _He says I have to change, but what does _he _know? He's just a mouse-brained apprentice!_

But yet, part of him agreed to Snowpaw's confab. Maybe he _did _need to change...

He tried to ignore the thought. If some cat needed to change, then maybe the prophecy shouldn't have chosen him to do so.

_I already changed once... What would they say if I did it again? That I'm just faking it? That sooner or later, I'll attack, even if I seem nice again?_

He couldn't see a way he could change, so he didn't think he should even try.

His name was Brokenheart. And he didn't care to change it to Notsobrokenheart.

**Wowza! Another chapter done! Hope you enjoyed, and I'll be back with another one soon!**


	6. Border

**Why hello there! Glad you could join me to see more of Brokenheart wanting to claw people! Because that's the kind of cat he is...**

**Let me start over...**

**I don't own _Warriors_.**

**Now just read the story. Or don't.**

_Beyond a Border Fight_

_Brokenheart padded through the leafy forest. _I'm dreaming, _he thought._

_He sat down in a clearing, glancing around through slitted eyes. He heard a rustling in the bushes and turned his head._

_A silver tabby she-cat with glowing yellow eyes padded towards Brokenheart. Stars shimmered in her fur. _

That's a StarClan cat, _Brokenheart thought_. But I'm not a medicine cat...

_The she-cat dipped her head. "Greetings, Brokenheart. I've been looking forward to meeting you, and it is a pleasure."_

_Brokenheart's tail twitched in annoyance. "If you were looking forward to meeting me, then you've got the wrong cat. I'm _not _a pleasure to meet."_

_The StarClan cat sighed irritably. "Okay, fine, you _were _a pleasure to meet, before you changed your name."_

_"Well, what's _yours_?"_

_"I am Silvershine. I was once a warrior of ThunderClan, but, alas, moons ago, a fire ravaged the camp and I was burned alive..."_

_She trailed off and shook her head, trying to remember what she was going to say._

_"Look, I can't be here for long, or Coldwhisker will find me... And then... Well, never mind that... I have a prophecy that the medicine cats will not know the meaning of."_

_She stepped forward so that she was a mouse-length away from his muzzle._

_"The blaze still murmurs in the shadows. Beware the traitor that stalks in the night."_

_Brokenheart gaped at Silvershine, but before he could respond, she was already fading, and he could feel himself waking up._

Brokenheart slowly opened his eyes. He remembered his dream, and just ignored it as he padded away from the den. It couldn't have been a message from StarClan.

He padded to Flamewhisper, who was organizing the morning patrols.

"Redwater, you lead the patrol to the ShadowClan border. Take Dewfern, Bearfang, Mudpaw, and... uh..."

Flamewhisper blinked, realizing there was no other cat to choose other than Brokenheart.

"And... Take Brokenheart... with you..."

The cats turned their heads to look at Brokenheart warily, but he just flashed his teeth and they padded through the tunnel with Brokenheart at the end.

Redwater, the white and red tom leading the patrol, twitched his whiskers in alarm as he neared the border with ShadowClan. "I can scent ShadowClan on our side of the border... Everyone, stay close."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say _Redwater_," Brokenheart grumbled. Nonetheless, he obliged.

Suddenly, claws dug into his side and tackled him to the ground. He struggled under the weight of his attacker as the scent of ShadowClan wreathed around him. ShadowClan cats pounced on the other members of the patrol as well.

The massive ShadowClan cat gave him a disdainful sniff. A growl rumbled in the attacker's throat. "You," he hissed with clenched teeth. "You're Brokenheart. You almost killed my brother Snakefang."

Brokenheart bared his teeth. "After _he _killed Stormwind!"

The tom didn't respond. He just pressed his claws deeper into Brokenheart's throat. Pain overwhelmed him as blood began seeping into the dirt.

Brokenheart kicked out with his back legs, strong enough so that it sent the tom flying. Brokenheart stumbled to his paws. His neck was dripping with scarlet blood, and he began to feel dizzy as his vision grew hazy.

The ShadowClan tom streaked towards Brokenheart with his tail brushing the ground.

Brokenheart raised a paw to claw at his muzzle when the tom reached him. Blood from the other tom spurted onto his whiskers.

The tom hissed in fury and shot his head up to sink his teeth into Brokenheart's ear. Then he tore away, and Brokenheart could feel his own blood dripping over his face.

The battle went on for what felt like moons. The ShadowClan tom then lunged forward to claw at Brokenheart's already bleeding neck.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out from his bleeding throat was the ShadowClan tom running away to attack the other members of the ThunderClan patrol.

**Back at the ThunderClan camp**

Snowpaw groomed his matted fur in his den, flicking his tail with boredom. _I wish something could happen... Maybe the leader could call a clan meeting? I'm just so bored..._

Snowpaw's ears twitched as a yowl of shock came from the tunnel. It was the sound of the cat that was guarding it. "Redwater! What happened to your patrol?"

Snowpaw got up and padded to the entrance to the medicine cat den. Owlwing came up besides him.

The patrol that was sent to the ShadowClan border was covered in blood. Their eyes were glazed over in pain, and one, who was unrecognizable due to the amount of blood on their fur, was unconscious, and was being carried by two cats that pressed against it on both sides.

Redwater, who had led the patrol, was panting heavily. "ShadowClan... a-attacked at... the b-border... Only... O-only Mudpaw w-wasn't wounded t-too badly... B-but Brokenheart i-is unconscious."

He pointed tiredly with his tail to the blood-soaked cat that was previously unrecognized. Everyone in the clearing gasped in astonishment. Even though they all weren't very fond of Brokenheart, he was still a clanmate, and they still cared.

Quietstar, who had been listening the whole time, flicked her tail in anger.

"This goes far beyond a border skirmish... All of you, get to the medicine cat den. I want the most injured to be taken care of first," she added with a worried glance at Brokenheart's limp form.

Snowpaw and Owlwing locked gazes. They were going to have their work cut out for them.


	7. Poison

**I don't have much to say here except that I don't own _Warriors_.**

**So yeah.**

_Poison_

Snowpaw finished pressing the cobwebs onto Mudpaw's wound. It wasn't too deep, and the tiny brown tom purred gratefully.

"Thank you Snowpaw, it feels so much better!"

Snowpaw gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks. "You're welcome," he mumbled.

Snowpaw and Owlwing had done all they could to help the wounded cats. Most were holding up, but Brokenheart's breathing was still shallow, and he still hadn't regained consciousness.

Snowpaw padded out into the clearing of the camp. He was just in time to see the hunting patrol return. It consisted of Flamewhisper, Rainpaw, Crowflight, Berryleaf, and Yellowpelt. They set their bounty down in the fresh-kill pile.

Snowpaw ran in to get Owlwing, and they grasped six mice in all by the tails, and padded back to the medicine den. They passed one to each of the wounded cats -excluding Brokenheart, since he was still unconscious- and the medicine cats settled down to eat their own mice.

Snowpaw sank his teeth into the mouse flesh and swallowed. All the wounded cats had fallen asleep by now, their gentle snores filling the den. He heard Owlwing sigh besides him.

She turned her gentle gaze to Snowpaw. "I'm glad they finally fell asleep... but I'm still worried about Brokenheart."

As if her words were a cue, they heard a weak cough. They both turned their heads.

Brokenheart had woken up. His eyes were glazed over and clouded in pain, but he was awake.

Then the lichen drape over the den rustled, and Flamewhisper padded in. He had a fat mouse in his mouth.

"Me and the rest of the hunting patrol chose this for Brokenheart," he explained as he set the mouse down in front of the wounded tom. To his surprise, Brokenheart didn't snap. He just dipped his head gratefully as Flamewhisper padded away.

Brokenheart took a bite of the mouse, and his eyes abruptly widened. He opened his jaw, only to make chocking sounds. His mouth was foaming.

Owlwing and Snowpaw shot to their paws. Snowpaw rushed to get yarrow, and carried it over to Brokenheart. The tom's eyes were rolled back into his head, and his paws and tail spasmed. Snowpaw forced him to swallow the yarrow as Owlwing rushed over with a dock leaf and set it on the dirt in front of Brokenheart.

As he swallowed the yarrow, Brokenheart wretched and threw up something red onto the dock leaf. As Brokenheart collapsed from exhaustion, Snowpaw studied what Brokenheart had swallowed.

They were deathberries. Snowpaw exchanged a horrified expression with Owlwing. Somebody had attempted to kill Brokenheart. And it was somebody within ThunderClan.

**Sorry for the short chapter.**


	8. Night

**I do not own _Warriors. _That's all I have to say.**

_One Night..._

Snowpaw padded through the forest behind Quietstar. The Gathering was tonight. The other ThunderClan cats followed behind him.

Owlwing had stayed at camp to take care of the injured cats. Especially Brokenheart, who was still weak from eating deathberries. He hadn't died, thank StarClan, but it was a close call.

Snowpaw dug his claws into the tree trunk that led to the Gathering island. The full moon was glowing yellow above them. A few dark gray clouds dotted the sky, and he hoped none would drift over the moon.

He teetered on the log before regaining his balance. He flicked his tail behind him as he leapt into the sot grass of the island.

He scented the air. WindClan was already there, with their leader, Duststar, a smoky gray tom, their deputy, Whitefoot, a black tom with a white paw, and their medicine-cat, Honeyflower, a golden she-cat.

RiverClan was there too, with their leader, Raccoonstar, a black and gray she-cat, their deputy, Bearspring, a large brown tom, and their medicine-cat, Redfur, a red and gray tom.

ShadowClan was also there, with their leader, Speckledstar, a silver-spotted black she-cat, their deputy, Eaglesoar, a golden and brown tom, and their medicine-cat, Mistycloud, a white she-cat with silver stripes.

Some of the cats talked amongst each other, and friendly conversations broke out. Everyone was avoiding ShadowClan though. Speckledstar was casting baleful glances at ThunderClan cats as they passed. Everyone hushed as the ThunderClan leader cleared her throat.

"I will start. First of all, I would like to know _why _you ambushed my patrol." Quietstar growled with her tail lashing.

Speckledstar's gaze was calm as she replied casually, "We simply need more territory. Nothing _personal_."

Snowpaw raised his muzzle. "Quietstar, should I tell them about the prophecy?" he whispered. Quietstar shook her head. No other cat noticed their exchange.

Duststar's eyes flickered between Quietstar and Speckledstar. "Quietstar, was your patrol on ShadowClan land?"

"No," Quietstar seethed. "It was on _my _land..."

The island broke out into hushed whispers. Speckledstar raked the branch she was on with her claws. "ShadowClan is growing. We _need _more land. And seeing as we can't hunt in water, RiverClan's land is useless. We need _ThunderClan _land."

The ThunderClan cats yowled with outrage. Snowpaw's fur bristled as he listened to the all the cats' yowling as ShadowClan joined in.

"Be _quiet_!" Snowpaw hissed, his back arched. All the cats hushed. They hadn't heard the medicine cat apprentice ever raise his voice like that.

Snowpaw turned his gaze onto Speckledstar. "If you really need more land, why wait until a patrol comes? Why not just hunt on it? Your explanation doesn't make sense."

Speckledstar blinked. She opened her jaw to respond, but couldn't find the words. Her deputy, Eaglesoar, spoke up.

"Medicine cats do not know the ways of warriors. And you are just an _apprentice_."

Snowpaw's fur grew hot with embarrassment. His tail-tip twitched. "I may be an apprentice, but I know a lie when I hear one," he mumbled angrily.

Raccoonstar titled her head. "Snowpaw makes a good point, though. Why wait for a patrol?"

Speckledstar growled, flashing her teeth. "RiverClan should mind their own business! ShadowClan is leaving! The Gathering is finished!"

Flamewhisper rolled his eyes. "Typical ShadowClan."

**Back at camp**

Brokenheart sat upright. Something was off. Almost all the cats were at the Gathering, but he heard that whispers of several cats. The voices were unfamiliar, and he couldn't make out what they were saying.

He looked over at Owlwing, who had her tail curled over her nose. She was asleep. Brokenheart shook out his fur and padded out if the medicine cat den. He tried to locate the source of the whispering.

Redwater, one of the cats who had stayed behind, was pacing in the clearing. He swiveled his head as Brokenheart neared. "Do you hear the voices, too?"

Brokenheart nodded and looked around. The moon overhead gave off little light, so their search was basically pointless. Redwater sighed.

"Might've just been imagining it, I suppose..."

Then he padded back into the warrior den, leaving Brokenheart in the clearing.

His ears straightened as he heard the sound of pass drumming on the dirt. ShadowClan scent washed over him as he turned his head.

Five ShadowClan cats circled him, with their tails flicking back and forth. They flashed their teeth. More came through the entrance behind them.

Redwater came out of the den and his jaw dropped. He let out a yowl of alarm. Owlwing padded out of her den, and Mudpaw and Fogpaw padded out out the apprentice den. Dewfern came out of the warrior den.

The ShadowClan cats didn't speak. They charged at the ThunderClan cats, who were outnumbered, and most of them wounded.

Blood spilled on the ground as claws unsheathed.


	9. Glance

**Just realized I never made the allegiances. Let me do that right now.**

**(Only with ThunderClan, though)**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader: Quietstar- White she-cat with silver patches**

**Deputy: Flamewhisper- Orange tabby tom**

**Medicine Cat: Owlwing- Gray she-cat**

**(Apprentice: Snowpaw)**

**Warriors:**

**Bearfang- Sturdy brown tom**

**Crowflight- Black she-cat**

**(Apprentice: Mudpaw)**

**Dewfern- Silver she-cat with green eyes**

**Redwater- Red and silver tom**

**(Apprentice: Rainpaw)**

**Yellowpelt- Golden tom with ginger spots**

**Berryleaf- Brown she-cat with green eyes**

**Cloudfur- Fluffy silver tom**

**Brokenheart- Gray-flecked black tom**

**(Apprentice: Fogpaw)**

**Apprentices:**

**Mudpaw- Small brown tom**

**Snowpaw- Pure white tom**

**Fogpaw- White and gray she-cat**

**Rainpaw- Silver tom**

**Queens:**

**N/A**

**Elders:**

**Crookedtail- Ginger tom with a bent tail (Do not mistake him for Brokentail/Brokenstar from the books, alright?)**

**(Half of these cats I've barely mentioned... oh well. And I know it's a small clan, but... eh.)**

**I don't own _Warriors_.**

_A Final Glance_

Snowpaw risked a glance at Quietstar's face. It was furious. Anger glinted in her eyes.

They were walking back to camp from the Gathering. After what the ShadowClan leader had said, Quietstar had been even quieter than usual on the walk back to camp.

The stars shimmered overhead. They cast a dull light over the forest as leaves were crushed under the ThunderClan cats' paws.

As they neared the entrance to camp, Snowpaw's fur began to bristle, though not in anger. It was because something was _really _wrong. He could feel it.

The tang of blood was carried on the wind, along with the unmistakably sharp scent of ShadowClan. With an alarmed look at Quietstar, the cats bounded into camp.

Blood lay fresh on the ground, staining the earth a crimson red. Clumps of bloodied fur littered the camp, and fear-scent was everywhere.

The camp was deserted. Or so they thought.

They could only hear a faint groan of pain sounding next to the apprentice's den.

Snowpaw stepped forward tentatively to locate the source of the pained sound. He saw a_ huge _clump of white, bloodied fur by the den. Next to it was a bit of brown fur in about the same size.

Then Snowpaw realized with a jolt that it wasn't just torn fur. It was the two apprentices, Fogpaw and Mudpaw.

Fogpaw was stretched out on her side. Claw marks stretched from her shoulder to the side of her body. Part of her ear was torn, and her neck was bleeding.

Mudpaw was in even worse shape. Bite marks and claw marks were everywhere on his fur, and his brown fur was tinted red. His eyes were open in a frozen expression of agony and shock.

Rainpaw, a light gray tom who was Mudpaw's brother, let out a wail of sadness and rushed over to the bloodied brown apprentice, pressing his nose into Mudpaw's fur.

Both were alive. Fogpaw lifted her head slowly to gaze at Snowpaw, before her head dropped to the dirt. She muttered something that Snowpaw couldn't hear.

"What did you say?" Snowpaw asked softly, while telling some cat to get cobwebs.

Fogpaw took in a shaky breath. "Was... ShadowClan... Too... Many... Redwater, Owlwing, Dewfern, and Brokenheart... Taken..."

Crowflight, who had gone to get cobwebs, dropped them and pawed them towards Snowpaw. "Here you go," the black she-cat murmured softly, not taking her eyes off of the wounded apprentices.

Snowpaw quickly pressed cobwebs onto the deepest wounds. He didn't bother with a poultice at the moment; right now he just needed to stop the bleeding.

He looked at the surrounding cats. "ShadowClan has taken everything too far."

**In the forest**

Brokenheart stifled a gasp of pain as the ShadowClan warriors carried him through the forest. Two of them were pressing against his sides, holding him up so that his paws barely skimmed the ground. However, the battle earlier had reopened some of his wounds, and he was still weak from the poison.

The other ThunderClan cats were also being pulled away, each held up by two ShadowClan cats. The ShadowClan warriors had, on purpose, left the apprentices back at the camp.

Brokenheart's eyes clouded with grief. The last he had seen of his apprentice, she was lying in a pool of her own blood, with Mudpaw's bloodied fur by her side.

_Flashback_

_Brokenheart ducked away from a swipe of his attackers's claws. Then he retaliated with a swipe of his own, before scrambling away to avoid being crushed by the massive ShadowClan tom._

_His eyes scanned the clearing. All around him, the few ThunderClan cats who had stayed behind were fighting. Even the medicine cat, Owlwing, was fighting valiantly._

_Suddenly, he heard an agonized yowl from across the clearing. Turning his head, he saw something that made his heart sink._

_Fogpaw was lying on the ground, blood pooling around a freshly opened slash in her throat. A dark brown ShadowClan tom stood over her, before joining the battle again._

_Forgetting his pain, he barreled towards the wounded apprentice. As he was, though, paws slammed into his side and pushed him to the ground. He could make out Mudpaw rushing to help Fogpaw, terror in his meows and fear in his eyes._

_He had leaned over Fogpaw, and had stayed protectively by her side when a spotted she-cat ran towards the apprentices. Mudpaw was outmatched, though, and he too was sent to bathe in his blood._

_The cat who had tackled Brokenheart still had him pinned. Then the cat raised his muzzle to the sky. "We bring them back! Leave the apprentices!"_

_And before Brokenheart knew what was happening, he was being dragged onto his paws and pushed through the forest. He cast a final glance over his shoulder to see the two apprentices meeting his gaze, their eyes a silent promise, a promise that they would get help, and that they _would_ rescue the kidnapped cats._

**Okay, another chapter done. Just so you people know, I'm going to be publishing chapters of this story less frequently than now. I want to start working on another _Warriors _fanfiction idea.**

**Until next time!**


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